Railroad bed



P. B. NUNLEY, SR

March 17, 1953 RAILROAD BED Filed Sept. 20, 1949 2- SHEETS-SHEET 2 Park B. Nun/ey, Sn

INVENTOR.

BY www,

Patented Mar. 17,h 1953 UNITED STATES "rem orifice i claim. (ci. 23e- 6) g This invention relates tonew and useful improvements and structuralrefinements in beds for railroad tracks, and the principal object of the invention is to provide a water-proof railroad bed such as will firmly and securely support the ties of the tracks by eliminating seepage of moisture through the ballast and subsequent formation of water pockets below the ballast which, in conventional road beds, impair proper drainage and result in a muddy and unsafe track.

Some of the features of the invention, therefore, reside in the provision of different means for preventing moisture from gaining access to and penetrating through the ballast, While some of the advantages of the invention reside in its simplicity of construction, in its convenient installation and in its economical maintenance.

With the above more important objects and features in view, and such other objects and features as may become apparent as this specification proceeds, the invention consists essentially of the arrangement and construction of parts as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the invention;

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view, taken substantially in lthe plane of the line 2 2 in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view, taken substantally in the plane of the line 3 3 in Figure 1;

Figure 41s a sectional view, taken substantially in the plane of the line 4 4 in Figure 1; and

Figure 5 is a fragmentary perspective View of one of the ties used in the invention.

Like characters of reference are employed to designate like parts in the specification and throughout the several views.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings in detail, the invention is embodied in a railroad bed which is built upon a flat foundation or subgrade affording a flat supporting surface for a set of spaced ties I0, the latter supporting, in turn, the actual track rails I2, as will be clearly apparent.

Suitable ballast I4 is provided on the sub-grade or foundation between and at the ends of the ties I0, and the instant invention concerns itself with the provision of means for preventing moisture from gaining access to the ballast.

These means consist of a set of moisture collecting channels I6 which are substantially V- shaped in cross-section, as is illustrated in Figure 4, and have their longitudinal edge portions seated in opposing grooves I8 provided in the adjacent sides of the ties Iii, as illustrated in Figure 5.

The grooves I8 slant downwardly from one 2 end of the ties to the other, so that the channels I6 are slanted accordingly toward one side of the tracks, at which point they communicate with a drain trough 26 extending longitudinally of the tracks, so that the moisture gathering in the channels I5 is delivered into the trough and discharged from the latter at suitable points, such as for example, at 22 in Figure l.

It is to be noted that by virtue of the channels I6, moisture will be prevented from seeping downwardly into the ballast I4 under the channels, while lateral seepage of moisture into the ballast is prevented by a pair of moisture deflecting strips 24, 23 which are disposed on edge adjacent the ends of the ties, the strip 26 being located under an outturned flange 23 provided at the upper, outer longitudinal edge of the trough 23, while the strip 24 is located under a longitudinally extending moisture deecting plate or panel E@ which, as is shown in Figure 2, has one edge portion thereof secured as at 32 to the ties Ill and extends above the relatively high ends of the channels I6.

For purposes of reinforcement, longitudinally extending straps 34 are secured to the ties It) as at 36 exteriorly of the rails I2, and it is to be eX- plained at this point that the instant invention is primarily intended for use at railroad crossings, switches, platforms in stations, etc., although if desired, the teachings of the invention may be applied to the track as a whole.

In any event, the arrangement shown in Figure 2 and in the upper portion of Figure 1 is intended to be used where the ground surface slopes downwardly to the track as indicated at 38 (see Figure 2) in which instance the deflecting plate 3d facilitates proper drainage of water from the sloping ground 38 into the channels I6, as will be clearly apparent.

In instances where the invention is used at railroad crossings, station platforms, switches, etc., artificial surfaces may be built up at the sides and between the rails I2, substantially to the level of the upper edges of the rails, as indicated at 43 in Figure 2.

In instances where the ground slopes downwardly to the sides of the track, as illustrated in Figure 3, the drain trough 20 and the strips 24, 26 may be eliminated, while the moisture deflecting plate 30 may be substituted by similarly, downwardly arcuated plates 42, 44, the plate 42 extending above the upper ends of the channels I6, while the lower ends of the channels extend over the plate 44, so that efficient drainage of water from one side of the track to the other is facilitated.

It is believed that the advantages and use of the invention --will be clearly apparent from the foregoing disclosure and, accordingly, further description thereof at this point is deemed unnecessary.

While in the foregoing there has been shown and described the preferred embodiment of this invention it is to be understood that minor changes in the details of construction, combination andar-rangement of parts 'may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

Having described the claimed as new is:

In a railroad bed, a foundation affording a iiat supporting surface, a set of spaced track 'carrying ties positioned on said surface, ballast between said ties, moisture collecting channels mounted between the ties above said ballast "and sloping to one side of the track, a drain trough extending Jlongi-ti'idinallly.at one side of Vthe track and adapted to receive ymoisture from the lower ends of said channelsa moisture deflectingpanel invention, what is provided at least at one side of the track and extending over upper ends of the channels, and a pair of spaced, moisture-deecting strips provided adjacent the ends of said ties, one of said strips being disposed under said panel and the remaining strip being contiguous with said trough.

PARK B. NUNLEY, SR.

REFERENCES CITED VThe following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES APATIENTS 

